Students explore public health advocacy careers at first Lerner Center Career Connection event

Health Policy
Collage of women presenting

The Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy held its first-ever networking event, The Career Connection: Charting Your Path in Public Health Advocacy, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on October 1, 2024. A motivated group of students and staff from across the Bloomberg community gathered to hear insights and valuable information from seasoned leaders in the field.

Woman presenting in front of screen holding a microphone

This new career event aimed to empower future advocates to explore career paths in public health advocacy. The attendees listened to a series of engaging lightning talks from invited speakers, who were creatively named “career guides,” visited networking tables, and collected valuable information in their event “passports”.

Each career guide shared the story of their academic and professional journeys and offered practical advice to attendees. Erin Russell, MPH, principal at Health Management Associates; Gretchen Jacobson, PhD, ScM, vice president of Medicare at The Commonwealth Fund; Kate Elkins, MPH, PH, NRP, director of the EMS division in the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Health Security; Glenn E. Schneider, MPH, chief program officer at the Horizon Foundation; and Sadiya Muqueeth, DrPH, MPH, chief health policy officer at the Baltimore City Health Department participated as career guides. Diane Coraggio, MHS, chief of staff at the Lerner Center, served as the event’s moderator.

Listing of career guides for the event

Although the lightning talks focused on each guide’s individual career journey, these shared concepts stood out:

  • Utilizing both internal and external resources,
  • Getting to know your local officials,
  • Staying informed,
  • Knowing how to adapt in the ever-changing field of public health.

None of their journeys were linear, but the guides assured attendees that there is always a path forward in public health advocacy, whether that means taking an unexpected route or charting it for yourself.

“Interrogate your passion.” Schneider gleefully reminded attendees. “Be good at what you do, and opportunities will seek you out.”

Man sitting at table shaking woman's hand

As the event came to a close and the buzzing sounds of networking began to quiet, it was clear that attendees left with new insights, valuable contacts, and a reaffirmed passion for public health advocacy, ensuring that the knowledge gained will resonate with them long after their final handshakes.

Advocacy is an essential tool for facing today’s most pressing public health challenges. The Lerner Center has hosted several advocacy-centered events including the Sommer Klag Advocacy Awards, the inaugural Advocacy Action Lab, various educational webinars, and now, the first of many Career Connection events to support a new generation of public health advocates and champions.

 

Video content from the day is featured on the Lerner Center Instagram page, @jhadvocacy. Subscribe to the Lerner Center newsletter to receive updates on upcoming events and opportunities.